The Platform Giveth… and the Platform Taketh Away
Good Morning World!!!
Yesterday, I shared a post about the personal sacrifices I’ve made trying to “make a living” here on X.
I talked about losing a friend, but I could’ve just as easily talked about the countless creators who chased this same dream, almost made it, and then lost everything they’d built.
I know people on Social Security who had come to rely on that extra $400 a month.
Moms at home who could finally make the car payment or buy groceries without panic.
Creators who quit their day jobs when they started earning three, five, even ten thousand a month, only to watch it vanish when payouts dropped to 10% (or less) of what they were.
When the monetization program went from “wow” to “what the hell happened?”, I was disappointed, but my heart broke for those who’d actually been making a living here.
Some of them were making more per month than most people earn in a year.
Imagine pulling in $24K a month for memes, quote tweets, and chaos, and then losing it overnight.
That’s not just a financial hit, it’s like finally winning the lottery, living the dream, and then waking up in a bankruptcy court nightmare.
For many, those first big payouts felt like winning the lottery.
And they acted like it too, new houses, Cybertrucks, fancy studio gear, probably a new coffee machine that syncs to the WiFi because… priorities.
But just like lottery winners, most didn’t realize the money wouldn’t last.
And speaking of lotteries, did you know the “Winners for Life” from Publisher’s Clearing House lost their payouts this year?
They were supposed to get money for life. Now? Zero.
It’s the same story, just a different stage, when the system collapses, it’s always the winners left holding the bag (and apparently, it’s not even a designer one).
Which brings me to yesterday’s meltdown.
A mega account, someone who was probably making between $5K and $20K a month, seems to be having a very public crisis.
At first, I’ll be honest, I thought she was just being a diva.
Lashing out at small creators, throwing tantrums, blocking people who didn’t bow down, we’ve all seen that type before.
So, I made a few posts about her behavior. Even a reaction video.
But as the day went on, I realized something was off, really off.
Her posts went from “I’m misunderstood” to “the demons are after me” faster than my WiFi drops during a Space.
She accused us of having “blood in our eyes” and wanting to “rip her apart.”
For the record, I don’t even know who she is.
She’s basically anonymous, just an account with great taste in stolen viral content and zero chill.
If she were an ethical curator, she’d probably be one of my favorites.
But what I saw yesterday wasn’t ego. It was pain.
And it hit me: the monetization program broke her.
This platform built her up, made her feel like a star, and then pulled the rug out from under her.
Now she’s spiraling in front of millions, and the internet isn’t kind to people who fall apart in public.
I’m not excusing the behavior, she’s said some awful things, but I’m recognizing the human behind the handle.
Because underneath the followers, the metrics, and the chaos, there’s a person who clearly needs help.
And let’s be real, the algorithm’s been playing all of us like a bad boyfriend.
Hot one week, cold the next, never texts back, and then shows up at 3 AM like, “You up?”
We give it everything; our time, creativity, and sanity, and it rewards us with… one pity like from an egg account.
So maybe the lesson here is this: empathy doesn’t mean we excuse bad behavior, but it does mean we recognize when someone’s not okay.
I hope she gets the help she needs, and I hope the rest of us learn from her story before we find ourselves in the same spiral.
The internet can make you famous in a minute and forgotten in a week.
But kindness? That never expires.
Have a great day, friends, and remember, God loves you no matter what.
(Even when the algorithm doesn’t.)